Essay 3 questions

Holly Leonard
4/12/17
Professor Young
Essay 3 questions

Topic: Defunding Planned Parenthood

1. Why is it being defunded?
2. How many people will this effect?
3. What will happen when it is defunded?
4. What will be the aftermath of the defunding and how bad will it be?
5. What is Planned Parenthood's main goal?
6. How can Planned Parenthood stay operating?
7. Why are people against the organization?
8. How will America take care of those who rely on the functions Planned Parenthood preforms?
9. Is there anything American citizens can do to help their doors stay open?
10. Are people not educated enough to understand the importance of the organization?

Indifference

Holly Leonard

4/8/17

Professor Young

ENGW 1011

Blog: Indifference

Indifference is a powerful word that can affect the lives of many. The word indifference means to have no say or a lack of interest in the matter; thinking something is unimportant. Although a person being indifference means they are neither with or against the matter, it can be very harmful. A person who is indifferent is also a bystander. If a bystander isn’t helping a person who needs help, it makes them just a guilty as the antagonist. People who prefer to be indifferent often do not want to become involved, but by bystanding they are automatically involved.

There are a few people in Friendswood who are indifferent to very serious events. One example being Dex bystanding Willa’s rape. Dex was friends with Willa and heard she was at the same party as him; he also heard that she was upstairs being taken advantage of but did not try to help her. Dex told himself that it couldn’t be her and went ahead and left. By Dex telling himself that Willa wasn’t there and she would be fine was a prime example of being indifferent; he was not concerned and did not want to put himself in an awkward position. Because to this, Willa was raped. Dex later tried to make up for his actions and apologize, but it still didn’t take away what happened and what could have been stopped.

Another example of indifference in Friendswood would be the entire town versus Lee. The town is undergoing a process to build homes on Bane’s Field, an old chemical dumping ground that is responsible for the death of Lee’s daughter, Jess. The town is aware of the death of Jess, as well as the old dumping ground, but no one wants to believe it is still dangerous. The construction in Bane’s Field will bring jobs, people, and a growth in the community, creating an economy boost. The town’s people are being indifferent to the matter because they don’t have viable proof or want to believe there is a danger. In this case, being indifferent could lead to multiple deaths from the chemicals. If people stood out and requested more tests be done to the area, it could save lives. Being indifferent can be dangerous to others as well as one’s self.

Groupthink

Holly Leonard

2/4/17

Prof. Young

Groupthink Blog

Groupthink

Groupthink is part of a decision making process everyone makes everyday. Most people, in a group, will go with whatever decision most other people go with. For example, if person A is with a group of people in which 95% of the group wants to go to the movies, chances are person A will say they want to go to the movies also even if they wanted to do something else. People make this decision to go with the group to avoid confrontation and being singled out.

Some people may have a very strong desire for something to the point that they will stray from groupthink in order to get that they want. An example that coincides with the book Friendswood may be Mayer Wallen who wants to build on the chemical dumping grounds because it will bring in more money for the town and more jobs, bringing up the economy; but Lee does not want this to happen. Lee’s daughter, Jess, passed away due to the effects from the chemical dumping; she does not want this to happen to all the workers or people moving into the future houses. Many other members of the town do not speak out with Lee or even agree with her because they do not want to become outcasts or be seen the way people see Lee. Groupthink has a very strong effect on opinions in groups of people. People will often go against their beliefs in a large group because they don’t want to be outcasted or looked at differently.

A real life example of going against groupthink for what was right could be Rosa Parks. She refused to give up her seat for a white man because of what she believed in. This relates to groupthink because most African-Americans at that time did not agree with the way they were being treated, but dealt with it to avoid confrontation. Eventually, people began to rise up against the matter and stood up for what was right.

Another good example could even be at a business meeting, everyone agrees on something but you oppose; you’re most likely going to refrain from voicing an opinion to avoid an argument or from certain people disapproving your stance. Groupthink can be good, or have a very negative effect. It is very important to have a personal outlook and voice it, there’s no right or wrong opinion.

Reading Log Questions

Holly Leonard

1/28/17

ENGW 1101

Prof. Young

Reading Log Questions

1. Willa is a girl who sees “visions” of random things from shining lights, to random numbers on her mirror, to a little girl reaching at her to be held. Willa does not know what the visions mean or how to predict what they would be. She has never told anyone of her visions, not even her best friend Dani. Willa had a good relationship with her father as stated that they use to go on runs together and talk, but now she feels as though her father doesn’t care much for her anymore as he’s too busy.“But sometime last year, his schedule changed and he didn’t have time anymore, and she’d noticed he’d also stopped looking directly at her face, as if it somehow embarrassed him”(page 22-23).
2. Dex lives in a trailer with his mother and sister; his father left. His mother cares a lot about his and wants best for him. “‘I’m thinking of asking your dad to get you a new truck. That old Ford worries me-the door’s all rusted out.’”(Page 37). Dex’s sister is younger than him, she’s a cheerleader, and they get along well; his mother tells him to watch over her. At football he is stuck lugging equipment while everyone else plays. “-he’d had to haul the equipment off the field, dragging several tractor tires and rolling the bulky pass caddies through the grass while the players ran laps around him on the track.”(page 36). His other friends are nice too and they get along well with his mother. “His friends thought his mother was hilarious.She ran a private joke with each of them….” (page 38).
3. Hal is a man in Friendswood who works as a real estate agent. His relationship with his son, Cully seems good as of this point. “Hal felt closest to his son when he sat in the stands, watching a game.” (page 15). His relationship with his wife, Darlene was not good because he was cheating on her and was unhappy in their marriage. “Dawn’s tan, skinny legs wrapped around his waist, and the tiny shoes she wore, and the way he’d come home and feel sad at the sight of Darlene, her face in the nimbus of blue TV light, her grin set like a tiger’s.” (page 16).
4. Lee, a girl who lives in Friendswood, had to abandon her home in Rosemont 10 years ago and now lives in Friendswood all alone because tragically she lost her daughter and husband. People seem to care about Lee in the town, “He’d called her seven times during the storm, worried about her all alone in that house.” (Page 5). Lee also goes out during rainfall to get soil samples of the “sludge” from chemical dumping; when it rains, the water tables rise and push the chemicals up for Lee to get samples that will show toxin readings.
5. Chemical dumping can cause serious harm to the environment and the people around the land. In Friendswood, the dumping caused the air to smell of rotten lemons, red and blue sores on people’s necks, and black snake looking sludge's of oil to submerge from the soil. A company dumped their waste causing issues in the town but at this point in the novel, nobody other than Lee seems to react to it.
6. Similar to the happenings in Friendswood, another community suffering from environmental issues is Flint, Michigan. In the town of Flint, the people have been without drinkable water since 2014. Since the water was deemed undrinkable, there have been multiple detection of E. Coli, fecal coli form bacteria, and even high levels of chlorine. Water is needed for everyday common tasks such as drinking water, showering, cooking, cleaning dishes, showering, brushing teeth or washing laundry. Both Friendswood and Flint are low income towns and both have preventable environmental issues.

Works Cited

"Flint Water Crisis Fast Facts." CNN. N.p., 26 Jan. 2017. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.Web

Steinke, Rene. Friendswood. New York: Riverhead , 2014. Print.

Thesis Statement

Many Americans want to be healthier but cannot afford to eat healthy food as often as they should because of the high cost. The cost of healthy food is higher due to how the food is produced and where it is sold; to alter the price, food stores should lower the cost of fresh, organic, and  any healthy food to encourage healthier diets across America.

How and why questions

Holly Leonard
November 11, 2016
Professor Young
ENGW 1100

How and Why questions:
Topic:
Why is healthy food more expensive than unhealthy food?
1. Why is healthy food so expensive?
2. How is unhealthy food produced that makes it so cheap?
3. Why do people choose fast food over healthy food?
4. How often do people eat fast food?
5. How often do people eat healthy?
6. How would cost of food change the obesity percentage?
7. Why is fast food more appealing than healthy food?
8. How is the cost of our healthy food linked us being the "fattest" country?
9. How do our food costs differ from other countries?
10. Why are there more fast food places than healthy food places?

Right to use own language

Holly Leonard
Sept. 21, 2016
Prof. Young
ENGL 1100, Writing Workshop
Right of Language

I personally believe students should have the right to use their own language, but to an extent. I do not have another language to use so I cannot relate to the struggles of some other bilingual students might feel, but I can say that I would find it very difficult to understand. I only speak English with a small understanding of Italian, but not enough to speak in full sentences. By mainly speaking English, I would be very lost in conversations or in class discussions if everyone were speaking in their own native tongue. I have nothing against those who can speak multiple languages, I believe it is an amazing thing to be able to do, but I don't think that in a classroom it would be appropriate. If students were to write in German, Italian, Spanish, or any other language, than professors would need to know and understand every language a student may use. It seems almost impossible to achieve. Every American citizen has the right to use whatever language they would like, but I think it would be best if they used the main language of English to help those like me who would not understand. It may seem unfair that there is no respected freedom of language in a classroom, but a classroom could not successfully function if there were 10 different languages being used. If there were a freedom of language, nobody could learn properly because nobody would understand. If there were specific classes for German speaking or Spanish speaking students, than it would not count as a freedom of language but more of segregation for the native tongues. Student should have the right to use whatever language they find most comfortable, but it is now practical to try and bring it into a classroom.